In Annual Address, Mayor Reflects on ‘Resilient’ Burlington

Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak delivered a State of the City address on Monday that reaffirmed her commitment to public safety, housing and climate change.

The 42-minute speech, full of thank-yous and acknowledgements, struck a positive tone despite the myriad challenges the city faces.

“Our city is resilient. There is so much exciting and meaningful work under way,” she said. “I truly believe our best days are ahead of us.”

But for all the applause her remarks received, there were also signs of discontent — including a protest outside city hall before the event even started.

Mulvaney-Stanak delivered her speech in a city hall auditorium that had been spruced up for the occasion. Vases of tulips decorated the councilors’ tables, and a giant city flag was projected on the wall. Behind Mulvaney-Stanak’s lectern were portraits of Burlington youth — a reminder, she said, that the city is working toward a better future.

That includes public safety, which featured prominently in Mulvaney-Stanak’s speech. She outlined her efforts to date, including hiring an adviser and assembling a panel to guide her response to homelessness, drug use and crime. In the coming months, she said, the city will launch a new program to address repeat offenders modeled after those in Boston and Canada.

Mulvaney-Stanak noted that despite facing a $14.2 million budget gap this fiscal year, the city invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in public safety, including to sustain the fire department’s overdose response team. The audience’s disappointment was audible when Mulvaney-Stanak announced the impending retirement of Fire Chief Michael LaChance, a champion of the program.

And the financial challenges continue. With an $8 million revenue gap this year, the city will have to cut services, programs and staff in order to balance the budget before July 1, work that Mulvaney-Stanak said will require “deep collaboration.”

The city has already started tightening the belt. It will soon pilot a new “Department of Finance and Administration,” which will streamline essential city services such as human resources and accounting. If adopted into the fiscal year 2026 budget, the effort would save $440,000 by eliminating four full-time positions.

The mayor also touched on housing, noting that the city is well behind the goal of building 11,000 new units by 2050 — a benchmark established by regional planners to ease the state’s housing crisis. But she said there are signs of progress: Fifty-three units will open this summer at the CityPlace Burlington project downtown, and work has started to transform the former Greater Burlington YMCA into nearly 80 units.

Switching to climate, Mulvaney-Stanak said the city is fighting President Donald Trump’s freeze of federal money meant to expand the city’s electric vehicle charging network. She also pledged to fully staff the city’s Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion & Belonging even as the federal government guts programs that support diversity efforts.

That topic was likely a sore one for some people in the audience, who held signs in silent support of Tyeastia Green, the office’s former director who alleged racial discrimination during her tenure. Green left before Mulvaney-Stanak took office but has asked the mayor for a multimillion-dollar payout to avoid a lawsuit. Mulvaney-Stanak has previously indicated that a financial settlement is off the table.

Before the speech, a dozen protesters gathered outside city hall to speak against Mulvaney-Stanak’s proposal to cut the city’s recycling pickup service, a move that officials say would save $220,000. The demonstrators held signs reading “No to Austerity” and “Public Recycling Forever,” which they later displayed from their seats in the council chamber’s balcony.

Mulvaney-Stanak closed her remarks with a plea that councilors eschew personal attacks and commit to genuine collaboration. Doing so would model “true leadership,” the mayor said.

“We each have a role to play in creating the vibrant, resilient and thriving city that Burlington is and will continue to be,” she said. “I look forward to the good work we will do together in the year ahead.”

Earlier in the meeting, Mulvaney-Stanak administered the oath of office to four newly elected councilors. They included newcomers Allie Schachter (D-East District) and Ranjit “Buddy” Singh (D-South District), the latter who replaced former councilor Joan Shannon, a Democrat who retired after serving more than two decades in office.

Also sworn in were incumbent councilors Melo Grant (P-Central District) and Mark Barlow (D-North District), who officially joined the ranks of the Democratic party after two terms serving as a political independent.

Councilors later reelected Councilor Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) as the body’s president over challenger Councilor Carter Neubieser (P-Ward 1). The vote was split on party lines, with Democrats flexing their seven-person majority to outnumber the five Progs.

Before the vote, Neubieser said if elected, he would require controversial resolutions to be shared well before council meetings — a practice he said isn’t always heeded by Democrats. He also proposed that some committees have four members — two from each party as a way to force collaboration.

Traverse said he appreciated Neubieser’s ideas. He also acknowledged the partisan divide on the council and pledged to find common ground with Progressives going forward.

All seven Democrats voted for Traverse. Councilor Grant and Joe Kane (P-Ward 3) voted “no,” and the remaining three Progs abstained.

Watch the full speech below, courtesy of Town Meeting TV: